Congressional investigators on Friday called on Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google to produce a sweeping list of financial records and business documents, opening a new chapter in a "top-to-bottom" antitrust review of the tech industry.

Posts Tagged ‘Twitter’

Are you addicted to Twitter? Are you addicted to other social networks? Let us know in the comments. Twitter is awesome. But is a little too awesome? Celebrities have tried to kick the habit, yet failed. College students have copped to social media addiction. Research has shown that people may have a harder time resisting Twitter than alcohol, sleep and sex.

Half of Twitter users log in to the network every day, and they tweet a ton. That ubiquity and utility has caused dependence in many, though. The infographic below provides a nice summary. Are you addicted to Twitter? Are you addicted to other social networks? Let us know in the comments.

Do you use your mobile phone more for calling or texting? If it’s the second option, you’re probably grumpy about the cap of 200 SMSes a day imposed by the telecom regulator. Of course, a big SMS bill doesn’t help. Yes, you can opt for the special SMS package, which is offered by most service providers and one that lets you send messages at a lower rate. However, this special offer is confined to a small number of people.

So, what’s the way around this dilemma? You can get past both budgetary and regulatory restrictions by moving from conventional text messaging, which is billed to the operator, to applications and services that are either provided by third parties or mobile phone manufacturers. Many of them let you send text messages, files, photos and videos to your heart’s content, as long as you can access the internet on your handset. Most of the apps come at no extra cost. You only need to pay for the data used in sending and receiving messages, which usually works out to be much cheaper than conventional texting. Here are some such options.

BlackBerry Messenger

0ne of the smoothest messaging services, BBM is incorporated into the BlackBerry handsets. Users can send (and receive) an unlimited number of messages, pictures, even files. You can add people to your contact list through their PINs (a distinct number that comes with with BBM).

WhatsApp

While there is no doubting the efficiency of services like BBM and iMessage, the fact that you need to invest in expensive handsets limits their utility. This is where a service like WhatsApp comes in handy. Just install the app on your mobile phone and exchange messages and pictures.

It works across platforms, and though it is separate from your regular messaging app, it scans your contacts and automatically includes other WhatsApp users in your contact list, saving you the trouble of sending out invites. However, it is not free for all platforms. While you don’t have to pay for Symbian, it costs about Rs 52 for an iPhone.

The appy edge

Messaging apps do not charge per message or require a special plan. They work fine with your standard GPRS/ EDGE connection. If your network is erratic, you can switch to Wi-Fi.

Most messaging apps let you swap videos and photos, some even let you send files, without incurring any extra cost or requiring any special service activation.

When you use a messaging app, you only pay for the internet data used, which is generally a small amount. This is particularly handy if you want to send messages to people in other countries. It’s the best option if you travel frequently as most service providers don’t charge for roaming for GPRS/EDGE on post-paid connections. So you can text away without worrying about the bill.

iMessage

iMessage arrived on the iPad and iPhone via the latest version of iOS (iOS 5) and the service, which is free of cost, has become a rage. What sets it apart from other services is that if the person to whom you are sending a message has either of the above two devices, it converts it from an SMS to an iMessage.

Nimbuzz

Nimbuzz combines several instant messaging (IM) clients, so you can exchange messages, photos and videos with your friends across a number of IM services, such as Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, even Facebook Chat. You can even use it from a computer and make free phone/video calls to other users.

Twitter

and off course Yes, this is a social networking site rather than a messaging service, but it allows you to swap messages, pictures and links with all your followers. You don’t need to install an additional program on your device and can access Twitter from a computer too. Its restriction to 140 characters may be a blessing or a bane.

Social Media cartographer Eric Fischer has created this map illustrating physical movement and the movement of tweets: green denotes physical movement; purple is @replies from someone in one location to someone in another; white is a combination of the two.

One surprising feature of Fischer’s map is the traffic in and out of Indonesia. According to a 2010 study, about 21% of Indonesians are on Twitter, making them the most Twitter-addicted nation. Possible reasons for this might include their large population (nearly 240 million), cheap access to mobile devices and English as a commonly spoken language.

Just took a quick look at Alexa it seems Indonesia does not even comes under top 10 countries that sends traffic to twitter. Here is the percentage break up for some countries on top- United States 25.3% , Japan 7.7% , India 6.0%, United Kingdom 5.1% , Brazil 4.0%, Spain 3.8%, Mexico 3.7%, Russia 3.4%, Germany 2.8% France 2.6% and so on, so the credibility of this map remains debated..

This is something I am really excited of with some unusual advances in twitter where HP and Intel will be teaming up with twitter for hosting the first-ever live stream of a concert on Twitter next week at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show. The headliner: who else electronic music master Tiësto.

The concert will kick off the launch of a new 10-episode series on YouTube called “In the Booth” — a behind-the-scenes look at Tiësto’s life and his impact on the electronic dance movement. The private event at the nightclub XS at Encore in Las Vegas will stream live from HP and Intel’s newly enhanced Twitter brand pages.

Tiësto will play a 90-minute set on Wednesday, January 11 starting at 10:00 p.m. PT. It will then play on a loop on HP and Intel’s Twitter page for the following 48 hours.

I remember Twitter had even offered streaming on the site, but this is the first-time ever that the site will feature a live concert as I have heard, and with this I expect new brand pages for companies more widely available by the end of the first quarter of 2012, go Twitter I think the Sheik investment is doing well for them 🙂

Twitter users will also be able to interact with others on the site while watching the live stream next week. HP and Intel execs will also be live tweeting from the show via the hash tag #TiestoLive.

This will change the way fans interact with brands on the site. Companies can tell fans to check out their pages and features by saying @HP or @Intel, instead of giving a long URL that doesn’t roll off the tongue, yipeeee In addition, this is a concept that isn’t even available on Facebook, since it’s a closed community. Here, anyone can watch the live stream and chat with anyone else with the same interests. I expect to see some powerful things come out of brand pages in the future

The Web series – produced by Believe Entertainment Group – will launch Tuesday, Jan. 17 on YouTube and each video will be between five and seven minutes long. I will tuning into this for sure.. Check me out on twitter in this LINK

How is the new year treating you guys, hope its rocking. C U next week..

I know many of you are using it already, since everyone as an gmail account and netizens can forget there name but not there gmail ID.. It’s now been just a few days since Google launched its Buzz social-sharing service and started rolling it out to Gmail users. The feature will pit it against social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Google Buzz will allow users to quickly share messages, Web links and photos with friends within its popular email service Gmail.

Google Buzz comes after the company’s several not-so-successful attempts to strengthen its position in the hotly-contested social networking space.

Here’s looking into what all Google Buzz will do for users. If most of you are already using gmail I am sure you are seeing that new tab for Buzz below your inbox.. On clicking the tab, users can read status updates, photos and video. Buzz updates will also show up directly in user’s inbox as well as in a tab within Gmail. Further you can open an item to comment directly because it’s a live object with an open connection to the server that gets updates in all time. According to Google, 40 people whom users talk to through Gmail and Gchat will be automatically added as friends. Buzz uses information from the existing email accounts of users to automatically show updates and media from people they talk to regularly. However, it will also allow users to share information privately if they want. Status messages that users publish on Google Buzz and flag as viewable to everyone will be automatically indexed by Google’s search engine and be available within Google’s recently launched real-time search results.

Like other social services, Buzz allows users to post status updates that include text; photos from services like Google’s Picasa and Yahoo’s Flickr; videos from YouTube; and messages from Twitter. I say many of its features mimic those of Facebook. This means Buzz will eliminate the need for people to visit sites like Twitter to post updates or see those sent by people they have selected to follow. Google Buzz will also pull in updates from outside your immediate group, such as an active conversation involving some friends and some people you aren’t following. However, though users can view Twitter messages within Buzz, they will not be able to publish new messages to Twitter’s service.

Buzz is also tailored to work on smartphones. Buzz will be available on mobile devices including Apple Inc’s iPhone and those that run on Google’s Android software. The programme automatically includes contacts that a user frequently emails. Google’s buzz also lets users publish their ideas to the world or just to their closest friends. This means each update can be set to either a small group of friends or to the entire world. User’s private updates will be directed to Buzz followers while public updates will reflect on user’s Google Profile page.

So some pretty cool features, so saying that do Could it be Twitter killer? the answer is No, because i thinks it co-exists peacefully. When you post a new tweet using Twitter, Google can import that tweet and send it out to your Buzz followers with the rest of your Buzz updates. You won’t have to jump through any hoops or use any back-door methods to make it happen. Twitter is officially supported by Buzz — the same is true of Flickr, Picasa, Blogger and YouTube.

But the same is not true between Buzz and Facebook. Buzz doesn’t import your Facebook status updates. It doesn’t post updates to your Facebook feed. It doesn’t display your friends’ feed updates. There’s no Facebook Connect integration at all.

Google is going to have a difficult time building a userbase when everyone who has a Facebook profile (that’s just about everyone who uses the social web at all now) is concerned that they can’t see their friends’ updates. They’ll have to keep using Facebook to stay in touch with their Facebook friends.

With more than 400 million users, Facebook is the world’s largest social network; Twitter by contrast has only 18 million or so. Gmail’s unique visitors numbered around 36 million as of last year. Clearly, Facebook is dominating. Google is attempting to challenge that dominance with Buzz, but Facebook is at the same time planning to move just as aggressively into Google’s territory. It was recently discovered that Facebook will eventually launch its own webmail service. You can already send messages to e-mail addresses from Facebook, but the execution isn’t as smooth as it needs to be. The new e-mail plan would address that.

Codenamed Project Titan, the service would offer users e-mail addresses ending in @facebook.com. Facebook would become the largest webmail provider overnight. If the service is functional enough, it could threaten Google’s Gmail. This outlook could change if Buzz integrates with Facebook the way it does with Twitter. Unless that happens, though, you’re better off keeping your bets on Facebook in the coming year or two — at least if your standard of success is something greater than niche appeal. Here is a video to as i Know some people are not interested reading this lengthy blog…

So what are you buzzing now, let me know what do you like and don’t like about it… C U Next week, tell then happy buzzing…..

Many of u may know about the ‘World Economic Forum’ an independent, not-for-profit foundation striving towards a world-class corporate governance system with a motto of ‘entrepreneurship in the global public interest’… Wait a minute !! What does it have to do with Tech ? If that’s ur question, read the rest.

Every year, World Economic Forum (WEF) identifies technology companies whose innovations will have a critical impact on the future of business and society. These companies are some of the most innovative startups from around the world and are normally in their first rounds of financing. This year too World Economic Forum awarded many companies who it thinks have the potential of significantly disrupting the way business and society operate. So maybe that picture fits now to my tech theme, so let’s take a look at over the top 10 Technology Pioneers of 2010 and the impact it as on the future of business and society. At first look it may not sound that meaningful but if u are a net freak and have a buzz on how new tech is shaping the way we see and do things everyday, this makes a good list and a right place to be in my blog 🙂

Twitter

Twitter is a privately funded startup with offices in the SoMA neighborhood of San Francisco, CA. Started as a side project in March of 2006, Twitter has grown into a real-time short messaging service that works over multiple networks and devices. In countries all around the world, people follow the sources most relevant to them and access information via Twitter as it happens-from breaking world news to updates from friends

Ushahidi

Ushahidi, which means “testimony” in Swahili, is a website that was initially developed to map reports of violence in Kenya after the post-election fallout at the beginning of 2008.

Ushahidi’s roots are in the collaboration of Kenyan citizen journalists during a time of crisis. The website was used to map incidents of violence and peace efforts throughout the country based on reports submitted via the Web and mobile phone. This initial deployment of Ushahidi had 45,000 users in Kenya, and was the catalyst for us realising there was a need for a platform based on it, which could be use by others around the world.

StreamBase Systems

StreamBase Systems, the leader in high performance Complex Event Processing (CEP), provides software for rapidly building systems that analyse and act on real-time streaming data for instantaneous decision-making. StreamBase has developed a new class of software that enables organisations to quickly develop and deploy real-time applications that can generate millions of dollars in new profits and are deployed at a fraction of the cost and risk of alternatives.

Playfish

Playfish leads the social gaming industry in innovation and creativity with award-winning, category-defining games designed for friends to play together. To date, more than 150 million Playfish games have been installed and played by millions of people worldwide on platforms such as Facebook, MySpace, Google, Bebo, iPhone and Android.

Innovid

Innovid is a provider of In-Video Advertising solutions for online advertisers, publishers and content producers. The company’s In-Video platform combines the marketing value of product placement, which is enjoying a 30 per cent growth rate this decade in all electronic media, with the interactivity only possible on the Internet.

Amobee

Headquartered in Redwood City, California, Amobee is the first company to deliver a unified, telco-grade system for funding mobile content and communications through advertising revenues. The company has launched a new media system for ad-funding the entire mobile content and communication business.

Dilithium

Dilithium is the global provider of mobile video infrastructure solutions enabling multimedia services from any network to any device. The company’s hardware, software, and service solutions are used by many of the world’s largest service providers and content companies to create and distribute multimedia solutions that are changing the way people communicate.

CollabNet

CollabNet is the leader in application lifecycle management (ALM) platforms for distributed software development teams. CollabNet TeamForge is the industry’s most open ALM platform, supporting every environment, methodology, and technology.

amiando

amiando is the leading tool for online event organisation in Europe. Its platform serves over 70,000 events worldwide with products such as amiando Eventsites, amiando ViralTickets, amiando EasyEntry or amiando EventSense.

RingCentral

RingCentral provides cloud computing-based business phone systems. The company delivers on-demand phone systems that are designed for the modern mobile and distributed business world, at a fraction of the cost of traditional systems. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, RingCentral is privately held with backing from Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures and DAG Ventures.